My research centers on understanding and forecasting invasive terrestrial plant distributions and abundances. I work at local, landscape, and continental scales to identify patterns and mechanisms of invasions in the face of climate and land use change.

My research focuses on the impacts of exotic and native invasive species on plant communities and ecosystems in wetlands and forests. I combine tool and methods from physiological, community, ecosystem, and paleoecology to link changes at the community scale to ecosystem impacts. I am also interested in the mechanisms behind invasion, particulary the contribution of phenotypic plasticity and unique physiological traits to invasive species success.

My research and applied work focuses on the conservation, restoration, and maintenance of biodiversity in human dominated landscapes. I am specifically interested in invasive species impacts and management and the ecological function of restored communities as well as understanding which species are best adapted to urban conditions.

Since 1999, Sara’s research has been collaborative with NGO, government, First Nation peoples, and private landowners examining cumulative impacts to amphibian, reptile, and turtle populations in the Great Lakes and the South Okanagan Valley, British Columbia. Projects include long term amphibian population monitoring, wetland restoration and rehabilitation, road ecology, alien vertebrate species mitigation, agricultural eco-toxicology, landowner stewardship, community outreach and education.

My current research interests include: / / – impacts of invasive epibionts (organisms that overgrow other organisms) on basibiont (the organism being overgrown) biology, including stress; / / – long term distribution patterns in invasive species to better understand factors limiting their distribution.

My research concerns the role that organisms play in biogeochemical cycles of carbon, nutrient elements, and toxic contaminant elements. I am particularly interested in elucidating the traits that seem to be most critical for determining such effects, so that we can generalize across species and predict responses to community change.